PERIYAVA Times

“ Shreyo bhUyAt sakala janAnAm ”

June 2020 Online Special Edition 2020 Volume 5, Issue #2

5 YEARS OF PERIYAVA TIMES

SPECIAL ISSUE
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Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020  Periyava Times - Online Special Edition

Deivathin Kural & Science Kampahareshwarar (Thirubhuvanam), Soorya Namaskaram and Kandhar
Anubuthi Parayanam belong to the second component- Mantram.
‘Oushadham’ refers to the field of developing medicinal formulations
to cure diseases. This is also referred to as “Vaidhyam”. Oshadhi means
“medicine” and Oushadham is derived from that root word. Ayurveda is a
field of medicine which primarily uses herbal and natural ingredients along
with molten metal forms such as Pavala Bhasmam, Thanga Bhasmam and
Muthu Bhasmam.

Siddha form of medicine uses a lot more ingredients of metallic nature

(Mani, Loham and Bhashanam). Siddha medicine also conforms
completely with our Shashtras but has very high potency. The side effects
of over dosage can be very serious. Even a minute quantity of this medicine
can have high potency. Siddha Purushas such as Agasthyar and Therayar
have encoded the manuscripts for these formulations in an esoteric manner
Jwarahareshwarar Temple
precisely for this reason and safeguarded them from careless usage.

In both Siddha and Ayurveda, Mantram is combined with Mani and Oushadham to make the treatment even
more effective. Traditional Vaidhyas chant various Mantras while making medicines. Tryambaka Mantram,

MANI, MANTRAM, OUSHADAM
Deivathin Kural - Chapter 218
Samastha mangalani santhu
Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu
Let there ever be auspiciousness
Let all beings exist in peace
Achutha Anantha Govinda Trayam, Mantras for Dhanvantri, Ashvini Devas and Surya Bhagavan and Kavacham
are also chanted while making the formulations. Aditya Hrudhayam stothram, taught by Sage Agastya to Sri
Ramachandramoorthy, is very famous today.Garuda Mantra shows inimitable powers in reducing poisonous
Dr. B Ramaswamy snake bites. One of the verses of Soundarya Lahari, composed by our Acharyal Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada,
expounds that meditating upon Ambal as a radiating form of moon rays emanating from her, bestows
unimaginable powers upon the devotee. They become as powerful as Garuda in countering snake poison. An
Amrutha Naadi forms in their body which makes even their sight enough to cure deadly poisons and illnesses.
“Narayaneeyam” is chanted by many for health benefits because Narayana Bhattathri was cured of his stomach
ailment after composing it as a prayer. “Irumalum Roga Muyalagan” Thirupugazh is sung to cure all diseases.
Thiruneetrupathigam, sung by Sambandha Moorthy Swamigal to cure 'Koon' Pandiyan, is chanted followed by
distribution of Vibhuthi or Thiruneeru to cure illnesses. Even patients are recommended to chant this Pathigam

T
along with Vibhuthi, Honey or Milk and then either apply, and consume them respectively. In case of their
here are ways to protect your body: Mani, Mantram and Oushadham. Among the Navaratnas, each of
inability, others can chant for them
them possesses a unique power to cure specific illnesses. Each Navarathna propitiates each Navagraha
and offer these as prasadham to help
Devata. Though a disease occurs as a result of our
them recover. Gayathri Mantram,
Karma, it manifests in the form of misalignment of
considered as Manthra Raja, also
Navagrahas. Therefore, the navaratna specific to a
has immense benefits for health and
misaligned Graha is worn in the form of a jewel or
well-being.
a ring or consumption of the water after performing
an Abhisheka on a Moorthi made of that gemstone is
recommended for cure. This is the “Mani” component
of the Mani-Mantra-Oushadham trio. Navrathnas are
therefore also referred to as Navamani. Similar to
“Mani”, Swarnam (Gold), Rajatham (Silver), Tamram
(Copper) and Padarasam (Mercury) are used as
ingredients for medicines.

Manthra Japam, prayers to Moorthis such as

Jwarahareshwarar (Periya Kanchipuram) and
Kampahareshwarar Temple
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Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020
Sri MahaPeriyava
Manimandapam
NJ, USA
In HIS presence -
Virtually ...
Suriyanarayanan Subramanian
T he COVID-19 pandemic has had
a significant impact on our lives
across the globe, completely stymying our
activities. Coming to Sri MahaPeriyava
Manimandapam NJ USA, we strongly
believe that the when, why and how of
this initiative is completely determined
by HIM and we, as mere tools, pray to
HIM for a successful completion. With
all the state-wide restrictions lifted, the
construction activities began this month.
This pandemic has given us a chance to
introspect and spend our time praying
to HIM for Loka Kshema. Around the
world, music aspirants effectively used this
time to dedicate their art to Moolavar Sri
MahaPeriyava through virtual presentations
 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition
dharma motivated by this current situation,
volunteers of Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam
prepared several flower garlands from their
homes and submitted them for Sri Moolavar
& Utsavar Periyava and Sri Padhuka Periyava.
Guru Purnima was celebrated grandly with a
special Abhishekam to Sri Moolavar Periyava.
Note:
For details regarding
Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam
construction and activities please email
sdf @ mahaperiyava.org
or contact
Sri Suri Subramanian 609 456 5096.
of Sangeetham, Naadha & Thala Vaadhya Samarpanam.
Till today, close to 100+ musicians across the world
have presented evening concerts witnessed by
hundreds of devotees praying for well-being of all of
us. This situation also provided us with an opportunity
to immerse ourselves in the bliss of pravachanam
on Adi Acharyal’s Kanakadhara Stothram by
Sri. Dushyanth Sridhar and Periya Puranam by
Sri. Balaji Bhagavathar. These discourses can be
viewed in our Periyava Puranam YouTube channel.
The auspicious occasion of Sri MahaPeriyava Jayanthi
was celebrated by Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam
NJ USA on May 29th 2020 complying with the
state and federal regulations. Avahanthi homam and
Ekavara Rudhrabhishekam for Sri MahaPeriyava were
performed with our prayers to HIM to cure this world
from this pandemic. In the true spirit of collective
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Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020  Periyava Times - Online Special Edition

Construction- Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam, NJ, USA

Priest Quarters Construction- Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam, NJ, USA

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Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020
Management lessons Abhilash Sridharan
Paramacharya
“The one quality which sets one man / woman
apart from another – the key which lifts one to
every aspiration while others are caught up in
the mire of mediocrity – is not talent, formal
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education, nor intellectual brightness – it is
self-discipline. With self-discipline, all things
are possible. Without it, even the simplest
goal can seem like the impossible dream” –
Theodore Roosevelt
Lesson 15: T he COVID-19 crisis has posed several threats to
nations and businesses across the world, bringing
several institutions to their knees. Over the last few
The importance of Self months (March 2020 to June 2020), governments and
public officials across the world have urged people to
Discipline in leadership stay at home and maintain discipline around social
 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition
distancing to the combat the spread of COVID-19.
A mid the many challenges, the crisis has brought
to the fore a key behavioral trait that forms the
bedrock of both financial investing and successful
institutional leadership – ‘self-discipline’. In financial
investing, successful investors and asset managers
always underscore the importance of creating a
disciplined investment plan, especially to create
highest impact in long term investing. To quote Warren
Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway,
“The reason that successful investing remains so hard
is that it can be difficult for many individuals to control
their emotions — greed and envy in bull markets and
fear and panic in bear markets. In fact, I’ve come to
believe that bear markets are the mechanism by which
assets are transferred from those with weak stomachs
and no investment plan to those with a well-thought-
out plan (meaning they anticipate bear markets) and
the discipline to follow it.”
I n institutional leadership, most people think
of discipline as a negative trait. However self-
discipline helps leaders set high standards for what is
expected and hold people accountable to the choices
they decide to make every day. To quote Colin
Powell, former US secretary of state, “The essence
of leadership is holding your people to the highest
possible standard, while taking the best possible
care of them”. Studying institutions and teams that
successfully establish a culture of self-discipline,
illustrate a few traits that are common across them:
(1) Setting high standards and repeatedly
communicating them to the team
(2) Role-modeling the standards by being an
ambassador of change; this also includes identifying
ambassadors throughout the institutions who can be
the positive agents of a cultural change
(3) Creating a culture of accountability and
self-policing, where team members take collective
ownership of the standards and apprentice a junior
member that is joining the team or point out to another
team member who is failing to observe the standard
(4) Sharing critical feedback when members are
repeatedly falling short of the standards
11
I t is important to underscore that discipline should not
be confused with hierarchical obedience. It is being
consistent in your actions, with high performance
standards to achieve long term organizational goals.
P aramacharya’s entire mortal life is a glorious
exercise in self-discipline. For starters,
Paramacharya took charge of Sri Matham in 1907
at the tender age of 13 and until the anointment
of Sri Jayendra Saraswati as the Peethathipathi
(“head pontiff”) of the Sri Matham in 1954 (when
Paramacharya turned 60), HH single handedly ran the
affairs of the Sri Matham for a period of 47 years.
HH managed the affairs of the Sri Matham, without
compromising on his nitya anushtanams (daily rituals),
prayers to Lord Chandramouleeswara and Goddess
Parvati, upavasams (fasts) and rigorous, barefooted
travel walking across the length and breadth of India.
As the Jagadguru (‘the teacher of the Universe’), HH
held himself to a very high standard , taking inspiration
from anyone and everyone. To quote Sri Ganesa
Sarma, an Advaitic Scholar, ‘When Paramacharya
was camping in Satara (Maharashtra) in 1980s, he
learnt that an electrician who was working within the
temple premises was fasting the entire day. HH had
suggested that the electrician should take a break and
consume some water or beverage. HH was astonished
to learn that the electrician never consumed water
during the Ekadasi upavasam (fast). At that instance,
HH told everyone around him that as the Jagadguru,
it was his duty to follow the highest possible standard
of Sanatana Dharma. And taking inspiration from
the electrician in Satara, Paramacharya stopped
consuming even a drop of water on Ekadasi, when he
was in his late eighties’.
P aramacharya has also spoken extensively about
Discipline. To quote Paramacharya from Voice of
God (Volume 2, Chapter ‘Freedom and Discipline’,
pages 621-623):
“We recognize the need to keep people bound to
certain laws and rules. However, the restrictions
must not be too many. . There must be a restriction on
restrictions, a limit set on how far individuals and the
society can be kept under control. To choke a person
with too many rules and regulations is to kill their
spirit. (S)he will break loose and run away from it all.
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That is the reason why our Sastras have not

committed everything to writing and not enacted
laws to embrace all activities. In many matters,
they let people follow in the footsteps of their elders
or great men.
In some matters, people are given freedom to

Paramacharya
follow the tradition or go by the personal example
of others or by local or family custom. Only thus
will they have faith and willingness to respect the
rules prescribed with regards to other matters.
Setting an example through one’s life is the best
way of making others do their duty or practice
their dharma. The next best is to make them do the
same on their own persuasion. The third course is

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compulsion in the form of written rules. The sastras
respect a person’s freedom and allow him / her to
act on his / her own in many spheres. The purpose
of the code of conduct formulated by our sastras is
to keep people within certain bounds.
But this code does not cover all activities since
the makers of our sastras thought that people
should not be too tightly shackled by the dharmic
regulations. You may feel that with regards to some
aspects of life, there is an element of compulsion
in the sastras, but you may not feel the same when
you follow the tradition, the local or family custom
or the example of great men. Indeed you will take
pride in doing so.”
May Paramacharya’s life and message act
as an inspiration for all of us to unlock self-
discipline both as business leaders at work and
to counter the COVID crisis.
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Philosophy
Salvaging Sanitation
Adaptations from YPM
These are indeed testing times. The material realm coming ever so
abruptly to a halt, perennially reverting us to think of our hygiene, habits
and choices. Many of us would be particularly reminded of preservation of
natural sources back in the day. Surely, one would gather that the world was
a safer place to occupy then? Sri Sivan SAR agrees, through Yenipadigalil
Maanthargal's stand on healthy produce and it's sustenance.
113 E : A wise man (viveki) claims scientific intoxication of food.
The usage of pesticides, predominantly D.D.T (Di-chloro Di-phenyl Tri-
chloroethane) were over a number of decades causing slow poisoning to
consumers of produce in Sweden. Hazardous levels of Mercury were found
in humans, plants and marine life. For many years, those in science hadn’t
even noticed such implications.
• “ Similarly D.D.T did not easily undergo a breakdown but got into
the fatty system of any tissue and stayed there for long.
• “ The poison got assimilated in the human system when people
consumed the flesh of birds that ate fruits sprayed with the chemical.
• “One could learn about the process only indirectly. The poison might
come in insidiously without anybody knowing it.”
115 B: The common man (paamaran) knows not of the consequences of
scientific means.
115 C: The scientist testing such results is wise (viveki).
115 B & C: (Translated) “Various scientific instruments, objects and
machinery through which goods have been processed increasingly within
the last 50 years, may potentially cause horrific disease, brain defects and
living corpses among the human race. When we come in contact with them
in zones through touch, inhaling, sight, hearing, intake, pleasure or set in
motion, most organs including the skin, blood, heart, liver and nerves start
to get spoilt.
“The human spermatozoa get affected due to blood impurity. Most of us
possess, and have produced offspring with atleast an iota of scientific
disease. The chain can only continue as they will be exposed to even more
danger, producing offspring with even more diseased genes. If the state
Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020
Ramana Kiran
of modern science persists, our fifth or sixth
generation would most probably be casualty to
the same state. They could lose their lives just
as their bodies are opened for an operation.
(Verbatim) Even Asbestos and Tube lights could
cause cancer for the progeny of the unhealthy
people, why even for the present generation
who lack resistance power. There are hundreds
of other scientific productions like polythene,
plastics, rubber feeding, fertilizers, gasoline and
so on”.
 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition
Philosophy
An infant’s real food:
“Mr. Jelliffe, an American expert said decline
in breast feeding contributes to development of
infantile disease such as diarrhoea and marasmus, an
emaciating disease that infants often get when placed
on other foods. Our elders are concerned with the
world gradually losing mother's milk in civilised parts.
Experts have revealed the problems with artificial
baby food. The salt content in native cow’s milk has
3 ½ times more salt than an infant requires. Various
baby food and milk powder contains an alarming 10
times the salt content, causing adverse effects on their
15
Ramana Kiran
health later on, planting the seed for high blood
pressure which they may have to face during the
very onset of adulthood.
There are further references that have seriously
affected ecological balance:
“ Much work has been done on developing new
types of food crops which can give high yields
by heavy use of chemical fertilisers, particularly
nitrogen. These fertilisers do greatly increase the
immediate crop yields; but at the same time, the
impoverishment of soil organic matter by altering
the physical character of the soil, sharply reduces
the efficiency with which the added fertilizer is
taken up by the crop.”
Let us now shift our focus to how we can effectively
avoid the usage of such chemicals.
Bio-fertilisers:
To reinforce the development of sustainable
agriculture, use of bio fertilisers has assured great
promise to mete out the nutrient demand. The very
term denotes nutrient supplement inputs for plant
growth which are biological in origin. Not only are
they extremely affordable, but provides farmers
with a new strategy for achieving the goal of
increasing productivity which has been a perennial
challenge, especially in India.
Eg: Rhyzobium, Azolla and Azospirillum are
Nitrogen-fixing microorganisms with leguminous
specificity, while Azotobacter benefits many
cereal, millet, vegetable and cash crops.
It is time that we take control of the variables
involved in everyday consumption. Atleast partial
self-sustenance by growing produce around our
own home-space naturally is a great starting point.
It doesn’t matter even if it’s just a little herb garden.
Why not think of investing in a farm when you
already have a sprawling house in the city? Think
about it. On a Dharmic aspect, one can set aside a
part of the yield to a charity, temple or even a Veda
Patashala. Prayers to Sri Sivan SAR for such ideas
and action to sprout aplenty.
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Periyava and Music Bhargavi Kamakshivalli

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Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020  Periyava Times - Online Special Edition
Guru Bhakthi Dr. Srikant Kamesh Iyer
he had met yesterday was not a “paati”. After doing several incidents where Sri MahaPeriyava would be

En Guruvin
namaskaram to Sri MahaPeriyava, Sri Thiagu thatha behind a double curtain while giving theertham to
told HIM his grievance that he had to start early to devotees, wherein the devotees would not be able to
reach the camp and upon arrival no one from the Sri see Sri MahaPeriyava, but HE would know exactly

Kathai
The Story of My Guru
Sri Thiagu Thatha
a paati (old lady) with tonsured head, as
HE was sitting in one corner of the palanquin.
Sri MahaPeriyava then peeped outside the
palanquin and asked in Telugu “What is your
name? Is it Raju?” Sri Thiagu thatha was
stunned as to how Sri MahaPeriyava knew
that he was from a Telugu family. He then
continued to have the entire conversation
with Sri MahaPeriyava in Telugu. He replied
back in the affirmative saying “Yes Paati,
what you said is correct”. Sri MahaPeriyava
then told him that Sri Paramasiva Iyer, who
was a friend of Sri Thiagu thatha’s father,
was going to do bhikshavandanam for Sri
MahaPeriyava and also Perumal poojai
in a nearby village called Nannilam and
asked him to come there the next day. Sri
Thiagu thatha was dumbfounded as to how
HE knew about his father, who had passed
away a few years ago. Sri Thiagu thatha
then thought that since “paati” was calling
him to come, she would probably give him
whatever snacks he wanted to eat. Later in
Matham had enquired whether he had eaten food or
not. Sri MahaPeriyava then asked someone of the Sri
Matham (Sri Krishnavaram Venkataraman) to provide
him with “shesham” as lunch. Sri Thiagu thatha was
unaware what shesham meant. Little did Sri Thiagu
thatha know that he was about to receive the great
bhagyam of eating the food that had been prepared for
Sri MahaPeriyava’s bhikshavandanam. He was then
served food on a large banana leaf. Sri Thiagu thatha
felt that the food had little taste and wondered how
Sri MahaPeriyava ate food that was made without
adding salt, red chilly or tamarind. He then enquired
as to whether there was any rasam, or sambar that he
could eat. Upon finishing his meal, he then met Sri
MahaPerivaya again. Sri MahaPeriyava enquired as
to whether he had his fill. HE then lovingly mentioned
that since Sri Thiagu thatha was Telugu, he was not
used to eating lunch without paruppu (dal) sambar.
Upon Sri MahaPeriyava’s directions, Sri Thiagu
thatha continued to stay at Sri
Matham camps which proceeded
to places such as Thanjavur and
Tiruchirapalli. This was just a
starter, as he was about to receive
even more of the unbounded
grace of Sri MahaPeriyava. One
day Sri MahaPeriyava told Sri
Thiagu thatha “Tell your amma
that you are supposed to be with
me here”. Imagine, what great
bhagyam for a 15 years old boy
who has come and would converse with them as
though the curtain was transparent. After all, there
are no curtains that HE does not see through. There
were also incidents where Sri MahaPeriyava would
tell people about new births in the family or passing
away of a family member that even devotees were
not aware of. Often they would receive a notification
by telegram only a couple of days after Sri
MahaPeriyava had already indicated it. Sri Thiagu
thatha also had the great bhagyam of meeting and
interacting with Sadguru Sri Sivan SAR regularly.
In fact, his job application for a Hindi teacher’s
post at Thiruvaiyaru was filled and submitted by Sri
Sivan SAR, which Sri Thiagu thatha joined upon Sri
MahaPeriyava’s insistence. Sri MahaPeriyava would
often lovingly call Sri Thiagu thatha as “pandit ji”
and fondly enquire about what he taught and work
timetable at school. Sri Thiagu thatha would leave to
see Sri MahaPeriyava every weekend -

S ri Thiagu Thatha grew up in a village called Thenkarai in
Tamil Nadu and had completed his school education by the
age of 15. Sri MahaPeriyava had concluded HIS yatra of Rameshwaram
and HE was now going towards Thirukannapuram. The Sri Matham
camp for the evening was planned near Nannilam village, a few miles
away from Thenkarai village. As his school days were over, Sri Thiagu
thatha was playing sadugudu (a South India version of Kabaddi) with
his friends near a river when he saw someone approaching their location
in a palanquin. From the palanquin, Sri MahaPeriyava asked someone
to go and bring Sri Thiagu thatha to Him. As Sri Thiagu thatha came
closer and stood near the palanquin, he mistook Sri MahaPeriyava for
a paati (old lady) with tonsured head, as HE was sitting in one corner
of the palanquin. Mahaperiyava then peeped outside the palanquin and
asked in Telugu “What is your name? Is it Raju?” Sri Thiagu thatha was
the evening, Sri Thiagu thatha’s mom told to be told that he is to stay at Sri
him that he had met Sri MahaPeriyava in Matham by Sri MahaPeriyava
the palanquin and not an old paati, but Sri himself. HE chose Sri Thiagu
Thiagu thatha was not fully convinced. The thatha. During his stay at Sri
next day, Sri Thiagu thatha was dropped off Matham, there are several
at the Nannilam camp in a bullock cart and incidents witnessed by Sri
it was about noon by the time he reached Thiagu thatha from which we are
the location. Upon arrival, Sri Thiagu thatha able to see again and again that
was mesmerized by the sight of an elephant, Sri MahaPeriyava is sarvagyan
a horse and the grand accoutrements along and sarvavyapi.
with the large procession of people that
Sri Thiagu thatha narrated
formed the retinue at Sri Matham camp. It
is only after seeing Sri MahaPeriyava here
that Sri Thiagu thatha realized that whom
 20
wherever HE was camped. Once during his early
days as a teacher, Sri Thiagu thatha was asked to
speak for 5 minutes in front of the entire school.
He was a little nervous and hesitant as he had never
spoken in front of such a large crowd. Praying to Sri
MahaPeriyava in his mind, he decided that he would
boldly go and speak and knew that Sri MahaPeriyava
would definitely help him. As he closed his eyes to
concentrate on Sri MahaPeriyava, he could visualize
a bright red light. This gave him confidence to step
Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020
forward towards the mike and he
started speaking in Tamil beginning
with the words “My dear fellow
teachers and gem-like students
("maanava manigale"). Sri Thiagu
thatha then continued the rest of
the speech in Hindi and finished it
exactly in the allotted 5 minutes.
This made someone mention that
since Sri Thiagu thatha had spent a
lot of time under Sri MahaPeriyava’s
guidance, he knew how to speak
with measured words while also
keeping track of the time restraints.
At the end of the 5 minutes’
speech, Sri Thiagu thatha received
thunderous applause and everyone
praised him for an excellent speech.
Sri Thiagu thatha was very happy
with this incident and decided to
see Sri MahaPeriyava. Upon seeing
Sri MahaPeriyava, before he could
tell HIM about the incidents that
occurred during the speech, Sri
MahaPeriyava repeated the exact
same words with which Sri Thiagu
thatha had started the speech in
Tamil “My dear fellow teachers
and gem-like students (manava
manigale)”. Sri Thiagu thatha was
thrilled and was left speechless. HE
is sarvavyapi.
There is another interesting
incident which gives us a
deeper perspective into Sri
MahaPeriyava’s firm conviction
that Sri Matham belongs to
Sri Chandramouleeshwara. Except vibhuti, Sri
MahaPeriyava would not take anything from the Sri
Matham for HIS personal use. Not a penny from Sri
Matham was used for HIS kaavi vastram, or for the
rice for Bhikshai, or for any other thing. It had been
about 10-12 years since Sri Thiagu thatha had joined
the matham. Sri MahaPeriyava was camped under
a mango tree in a village near Ponneri (Thiruvallur)
district, Tamil Nadu).
Guru Bhakthi 21
 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition
As it was a remote village, few devotees had allow the funds from Sri Matham to be used for
come for darshanam. Sri Thiagu thatha was deeply HIS bikshavandanam. It is only after the receipt was
concerned that other than some buttermilk and tender brought to HIM confirming that now the fruits were
coconut juice, there were no fruits available for from Sri Thiagu thatha did Sri MahaPeriyava accept
Sri MahaPeriyava’s bhikshai. Since someone was it. What a beautiful incident, isn’t it? Sri Sivan SAR
planning to go to Chennai (then Madras) for some once told Thiagu thatha, “Whatever happens, in,
errand and come back to the camp in a couple of days, matters of money or otherwise, even by mistake or
Sri Thiagu thatha gave him Rs. 10 from Sri Matham’s forgetfulness you should not go against HIS words.
account and asked him to buy 6 counts each of musambi If you do not remember, ask HIM directly. But if you
and sweet lime. When the fruits were bought, about don’t ask and do it incorrectly, it will lead to wrong
half a cup of juice was squeezed and some fruits were consequences”.
offered to Sri MahaPeriyava for bhikshavandanam.
As Sri MahaPeriyava sat down, HE immediately Sri Thiagu thatha was chosen by Sri MahaPeriyava
at a very young age to stay with HIM at Sri Matham.
noticed the juice and enquired as to from where was
the fruits purchased, as none of the devotees who Sri Thiagu thatha was indeed very blessed to receive
HIS grace and also be a witness to several incidents
had come for darshanam had gotten them. Sri Thiagu
thatha replied that as there were no fruits available for that reveal again and again that Sri MahaPeriyava
is sakshat Sarveshwaran. Sri MahaPeriyava is an
Sri MahaPeriyava’s Bhikshavandanam for the last 10-
15 days, he has asked someone to purchase them from ocean of compassion, the proverbial “apaara karuna
sindhu”. To quote Sri Balakrishna Joshi “It requires
Madras. Sri MahaPeriyava then enquired whether Sri
Thiagu thatha has duly gotten the challan/receipt for tremendous misfortune to escape the impartial gaze
of His Holiness”. May we always strive to receive
the purchase, as he has used the funds from Sri Matham.
Sri Thiagu thatha answered in the affirmative. Sri HIS grace.
MahaPeriyava then reminded Sri Thiagu thatha that
except vibhuti, HE does not partake in anything that
has been purchased from the Sri Matham’s accounts.
“This being Lord Shiva’s property, how can I take
?” said Sri MahaPeriyava. Even at this juncture, Sri
Thiagu thatha was only worried that HE might not
partake any of the fruits. He immediately prostrated
and apologized saying that he had made this mistake
unknowingly and asked Sri MahaPeriyava to kindly
accept the fruits. Moved by his love and concern, Sri
MahaPeriyava asked Sri Thiagu thatha as to whether
he received a salary from Sri Matham. Upon receiving
an answer in the affirmative, Sri MahaPeriyava asked
him to go and deposit the amount used to purchase
the fruits to Sri Matham manager from his salary and
bring the receipt. Sri Thiagu thatha followed HIS
instructions and got back a receipt from the manager
confirming the deposit. Sri MahaPeriyava waited till
Sri Thiagu came back with the receipt and consumed
the juice only after HE had seen the receipt. Sri Thiagu
thatha happily deposited Rs 10 for the fruits even
when his salary was only about Rs 13. Even when
there was nothing much left for bhikshavandanam,
Sri MahaPeriyava would not budge an inch and
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24
What makes me a Hindu?
What is the need for so many gods in
Hinduism?
Why do we have so many rituals for
everything?
What is the significance of so many practices
that don’t seem to have a meaning in today’s
context?
Does Hinduism believe in equality of humans?
In today’s information age, when the whole world
is within a single click, there will not be a single
millennial kid without at least the above questions.
In a diverse environment like the US where the
unique identities of individuals are celebrated,
it makes all the more important for them to
distinguish and harmonize themselves. Their
curiosity stems from a consistent need to balance
the world within and outside their spheres. It is our
duty to answer these brilliant minds scientifically,
Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020
rationally, historically and nevertheless sufficiently.
With the blessings of our Acharyas, volunteers
of Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam, NJ USA
have embarked upon on a holy mission called the
Center of Oriental Living and Learning (COOL) in
association with Initiative for Moral and Cultural
Training Foundation (IMCTF) launched on March
31st, 2019 by Sri. S.Gurumurthy, Eminent Thinker,
Journalist and Economist. The central goal of this
initiative is to invest our time and resources in
the next generation opinion makers and thought
leaders to whose voice the world will listen to.
With this vision in mind, we began the initiative
with monthly workshops for middle and high school
students along with their parents. Researching for
these sessions, fine tuning the material to engage the
younger audience was one of the most gratifying
experiences for our volunteer team.
 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition
As one team member put it so aptly, “This is a
rediscovery of ourselves”. With this excitement in
place, we designed and presented our first workshop
session on a topic that is everybody’s favorite:
“Food for thought”. We all know that right food
is important for our physical and mental health.
This session intended to extend that thought to
something our ancestors firmly believed in: “What
you eat is who you are”. Food was considered
to be an important contributor to our emotional
health. To reinforce this idea, we conducted an
interactive activity with the attendees. Pictures
of different food items were shown on screen and
kids were asked to associate emotions with each
of them. Right from “Exciting” to “Lazy”, they
came up with some really fascinating answers. It
was clear to all of us that certain foods invoked
certain emotions before eating but those feelings
are transient and are overcome by completely
different emotions after eating. Keeping these ideas
in mind, our ancestors classified all food items into
Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic food and associated
specific emotions to them. So far, these ideas were
understood with just empirical evidence and in
fact, they were even partof our common parlance.
For example, whenever we have an intuition,
we say “gut feeling”. As a core objective of this
effort, we wanted to open windows to how science
aligns with these ancient ideas. The attendees
were introduced to a new branch of science – “Gut
Microbiome Brain connection” that is taking shape
in the last decade.
25
Microbiota or a colony of bacteria found in our
gut has been shown to send signals to our brain,
playing an indispensable role in producing
important chemicals such as Serotonin (also called
Happy hormone for its key role in modulating
our mood and feelings). It has been shown that
our diet completely alters the composition of this
microbiome in our gut. Researchers have shown
that this composition differs significantly in
patients suffering from anxiety compared to healthy
individuals. This is possibly a key to understanding
an age-old wisdom embedded in our culture. Does
Sattvic food preserve the key and useful microbiota
in our gut and thereby promote our emotional well-
being? We sincerely hoped this discussion will
spark the gen-next curious minds to explore this
area of research. Another important aspect of our
food culture formed a part of this lively discussion.
How does the food we eat impact the planet? When
this question was posed to our young friends, we
were thrilled to see their level of awareness in
Global warming and its connections to our food
habits. We watched a research documentary from
UCLA that reinforced the need for conscious eating
habits and vegetarianism in reducing the carbon
footprint. Everyone was awe-struck to note that
the contribution of livestock to carbon emissions
was almost equal to transportations. We concluded
that by switching to a Sattvic food choice, we help
ourselves and more importantly our planet.
Activity suggestion: Create a food diary and
classify your everyday diet to Sattvic, Rajasic and
Tamasic. Note the proportion of sattvic food you
eat in a month and how that can be increased.
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FROM THE EDITORIAL TEAM

Dear Readers,
This year marks 5 years of Periyava Times and what a journey it has been !!! We have gone online due to COVID
and all previous editions will be available on our sister app - Periyava Akashavani (available in both Android and
IOS platforms).
We would like to say a lot has changed however they still feel the same. Yes, COVID 19 happened and yes this
moved us online, however our goal still remains the same. Our goal has always been to use this as a platform and
reach out to young minds and let them know about Sri MahaPeriyava, Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Guruparampara and
Sri Sivan SAR. Anything and everything associated with Periyava Times has only been possible with their Grace
and Karunai.
One of the biggest compliment that we have received during these 5 years was, when a 7th grade student from
Florida did a presentation at her school from one of our Periyava Times articles "Paramacharya CEO: How to be
effective story teller - Great CEOs have been great story tellers".
We are very thankful to Sri Suriyanarayanan and Smt Aarthi Suriyanarayanan (trustees of Sri MahaPeriyava
Manimandapam) for being our pillars of support and providing us the motivation to sail through even at times
when we have questioned ourselves ‘if we can sustain this responsibility’. The team is also highly indebted to Sri
Sivaraman G (Siva Saagaram Trust / Periyava Puranam) and Sri Ganesa Sarma for guiding us and providing their
valuable time and knowledge to shape up each article of Periyava Times.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Smt. Kirthana Subbrathinam for agreeing to grace her artwork
as the cover page for this online issue. We would also like to thank the authors who have worked tirelessly in addi-
tion to their full time jobs to provide our readers meaningful and original content. Finally, we would like to thank
you – our readers for writing to us and providing valuable feedback
Our team is always expanding and we welcome new authors, graphic designing wizards and creativity experts
– Come Join us and be a part of this Kainkaryam.
Our prayers to the hallowed Guru-Parampara of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam and Sri Sivan SAR, for their
blessings towards making 'Periyava Times' a potential spark to ignite young minds, to uphold Sanatana Dharma
for posterity.

Avan Arulale Avan Thaal Vanangi

(We bow to Him by His grace)

Editorial Team
Periyava Times
Volunteers and Sponsors willing to support this intiative, contact:
Siva Saagaram Trust Sanatana Dharma Foundation Inc.
SF 1, E Block, Sri Jayendra Colony, (A non-profit tax exempt organization Tax ID #20-4404415)
OM, Kandanchavadi, Chennai – 600096, Tamil Nadu 12,Old Warson Ct, Skillman, NJ- 08558
Ph: 9600015230, Email: sivansarthunai@gmail.com 609-456-5096 | sdf@mahaPeriyava.org
To contribute articles to Periyava Times, Contact: Periyavatimes@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine are objectively created based on facts by the authors and are not
intended for other purposes.
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Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020